Kuka Operating System For Its Industrial Robots

 Kuka Releases New Operating System For Its Industrial Robots

Kuka Operating System For Its Industrial Robots

Kuka Operating System For Its Industrial Robots :(MENAFN - Robotics & Automation News) Kuka releases a new operating system for its industrial robots

April 20, 2021, by David Edwards, Leave a Comment

Kuka has released a new operating system that the company says will 'mark the beginning of a new era in robotics'.

Claiming it is 'as easy to use as a smartphone, Kuka launched the new operating system at Hannover Messe, the annual industrial trade show in Germany, where the company gave audiences the first look at the OS, called iiQKA.OS.

Kuka says iiQKA.OS will 'significantly simplify robot use'.

It adds that the new operating system will form the base of an entire ecosystem, providing access to a powerful selection of components, programs, apps, services, and equipment that are easy to install, operate, and use to enhance the system.

This iiQKA Ecosystem is based on Iizuka.OS will make it possible for newcomers to implement automation without specialized training, while greatly improving and simplifying the process for experts.

Kuka Operating System

Kristina Wagner, vice president of corporate research and director robot X-perience program, says: 'Automation is one of the megatrends of our time. That is why Kuka aims to make robot-based automation available to everyone as part of its 'Mission 2030'.'

This is where the new operating system iiQKA is.OS supported by the Iizuka Ecosystem comes into play: It is based on modern and modular software architecture with usability and intuitive, user-friendly features built-in across the user journey – and will offer a quick introduction to robotics for beginners and a significant improvement in automation for experienced users.

Software is more important than ever for the user-friendliness of an entire robot system. This requires an operating system that is intuitive to use and offers access to an ecosystem of components, programs, apps, services, and accessories – such as will come with iiQKA.OS.

The sensitive collaborative robot LBR iisy will be the first of its kind to run exclusively on the new operating system supported by the Iizuka Ecosystem – in combination with the KR C5 micro robot controller and the new smart pad pro operator device.

Kuka's aim is not only to make robotics more accessible to newcomers but also to further develop its existing customer base.

Over the next years, the goal is for every Kuka product to be equipped with the new iiQKA.OS and Iizuka Ecosystem is a long-term development project in which the first steps have now been made.

Starting with selected partners, the Iizuka Ecosystem will grow to become an open network of partners and developers who provide hardware and software – for example, a selection of grippers or other end-of-arm-tooling, camera systems for visual recognition, safety sensor technology, or application-specific programs.

This is exemplified by Kuka's first iiQKA Ecosystem Keystone Partners: Schunk, SICK, and Roboception.

Open and standardized interfaces play an important role here, enabling partners and developers to provide such hardware and software extensions only, harnessing the power of the Iizuka.OS usability platform.

End customers and integrators benefit from this by quickly and easily finding the right combination of Kuka products and ecosystem provider add-ons for their particular application.

In the coming years, the ecosystem will offer functionalities and services that make the Kuka portfolio more flexible and powerful, able to adapt and scale as quickly as the market demands.

Built on a Linux kernel, the entire architecture of the new OS is designed for rapid development and maximum user-friendliness: iiQKA.OS will provide updates and upgrades quickly so that more functions will be added over time.

The new OS will also support the existing Kuka Robot Language (KRL). This will allow existing customers who have expertise with Kuka. system software to migrate smoothly to Iizuka.OS in the coming years and continue to use workflows and codes.